34 replies to this topic

[AlphaTheOmega]

So I have been playing MWO for a couple days now, and I have to say there is a HUGE learning curve!

I have two questions:

1. What is a good Medium and Heavy starter mech and why?

2. Is there a way to get MC without paying?

[DEMAX51]

1. Centurions and Hunchbacks are okay Mediums, but Mediums in general are fairly weak in this game. For heavies, Jagers and Cataphracts are pretty good choices (because they both feature Ballistic hardpoints, and ballistic weapons are generally considered to be the best at present, and they're both pretty survivable with standard engines or XL engines).

2. Not really. They have in the past given out MC as a prize for some tournaments, but that doesn't happen often and you're up against some pretty stiff competition.

Edited by DEMAX51, 15 November 2013 - 01:55 PM.

[AlphaTheOmega]

Okay and for armament , what is better, two medium lasers or one large?

And for the heavies, I hear people talking about weak center torsos, what is that?

Edited by AlphaTheOmega, 15 November 2013 - 01:57 PM.

[Alaskan Nobody]

To add emphasis to the above good post:

1) Centurions and Hunchback are, yes, the go-to starters: mediums may not be the strongest, but they are among the more flexible on the battlefield - letting you learn where you want to specialize in, if you chose to specialize (I like my mediums )

The Centurion is far more expensive than the Hunchback, but is somewhat tougher to go along with that.
You need 3 of a chassis (IE, Centurion9-A, Centurion9-AL, Centurion9-D, YenloWang for the Centurions - pick 3) to master it.
(IE, better turn rate, faster top speed and the like)

2) He/She/It covered it

3) 2 Medlaser give you a better rate of fire, and a stronger alpha strike than 1 Large (5 damage each medium, 9 damage for the large) the Large gives you more range.

Edit: forgot Yenlo

Edited by Shar Wolf, 15 November 2013 - 01:59 PM.

[Werewolf486 ScorpS]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

So I have been playing MWO for a couple days now, and I have to say there is a HUGE learning curve!

I have two questions:

Yes, and since you've only been here a couple of days. My advice is to get Teamspeak and be social, join groups and find people who can play and get along with you. Try NGNG Teamspeak . Address: voip01.n1585.hypernia.net:9992 and Password: mechwarrior

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

1. What is a good Medium and Heavy starter mech and why?

Medium, Shadowhawk (unavailable till next month for Cbills) and Centurion Zombie builds (NO XL ENGINES!) and just have fun. The Trebuchet is a fun mech but a skilled pilot is needed to get the best out of it and there aren't many builds that are good for them. Hunchbacks are an easy kill as you take out the hunch first, if it's an SP then legs or CT for the win. In the Heavy class it's rather open to flavor, but Jeagers, Catapults, Cataphracts. I prefer the Victor which is an Assault that plays like a Heavy and is loads of fun once mastered!

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

2. Is there a way to get MC without paying?

Nope, spend real money to buy MC.

Edited by Werewolf486, 15 November 2013 - 02:03 PM.

[AlphaTheOmega]

What versions of the [color=#959595]Jeagers, Catapults, Cataphracts would you suggest?[/color]

[Bhelogan]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:56 PM, said:

Okay and for armament , what is better, two medium lasers or one large?

And for the heavies, I hear people talking about weak center torsos, what is that?

Laser question depends a lot on your build, and where you want to be in the fight. Two mediums are more damage than one large, but they have a shorter range as well.

As for a week weak center, this is more chassis specific, and refers more to the size of the hit box for the CT. Some mechs have larger, some have smaller.

[xMEPHISTOx]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

So I have been playing MWO for a couple days now, and I have to say there is a HUGE learning curve!

I have two questions:

1. What is a good Medium and Heavy starter mech and why?

2. Is there a way to get MC without paying?

1. ShadowHawk (available for cbill purchase later this month)is by and far the best medium in the game imo as it is a great sniper platform and at the same time quite fast and ofc jumpjets. I would put the Hunchbacks next as a fairly sturdy medium mech although all but the 4SP have a distinct weakness. That being the hunch itself which is easy to take out and thus removing a great many of its weapons. So of the hunchbacks I would only suggest the 4SP.

2. Not that I am aware of. If find a 'free' way to get MC please inform me.

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:56 PM, said:

Okay and for armament , what is better, two medium lasers or one large?

And for the heavies, I hear people talking about weak center torsos, what is that?

Depends on the range you wish to fire from. If need a bit more range go for large or ERLarge. However the weight and heat is considerably higher than the 2 mediums. 5 tons vs. 2 tons and the damage output for the 2 meds (5 dmg ea.) is 1 pt. more than that of the single large laser (9dmg).

Not so much that they are weak (ct's) as you can adjust your armor placement. More to the nature of larger easier to hit CT's. For example a Centurian is a pain in the arse to hit CT and most wind up going for legs to eliminate them whereas the hunchback has a fairly large CT and is easier to target.

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 02:03 PM, said:

What versions of the [color=#959595]Jeagers, Catapults, Cataphracts would you suggest?[/color]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 02:03 PM, said:

What versions of the [color=#959595]Jeagers, Catapults, Cataphracts would you suggest?[/color]

Cataphract - 3D is by far the best. JJ's make all the difference in the world.
Catapult - None imo. I have one of each and play them ever so rarely as they have far to many drawbacks ie. weak head, large CT, and easy to eliminate the ears which house weapons. If any are to be considered OK it would be the K2 or the Jester (mc only/p2w mecha).
Jagermechs - I am not a big fan of Jagers...however if you like AC boating the DD is a great platform for that purpose I suppose. They are incredibly easy to take down via CT, RT/LT's.

If looking for a quality heavy I would very much recommend the Cataphracts, the 3D in particular.

Edited by xMEPHISTOx, 15 November 2013 - 02:56 PM.

[Koniving]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

So I have been playing MWO for a couple days now, and I have to say there is a HUGE learning curve!

I have two questions:

1. What is a good Medium and Heavy starter mech and why?

2. Is there a way to get MC without paying?

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 02:03 PM, said:

3. What versions of the Jeagers, Catapults, Cataphracts would you suggest?

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:56 PM, said:

4. Okay and for armament , what is better, two medium lasers or one large?

5. And for the heavies, I hear people talking about weak center torsos, what is that?

Here we go.

1 A. Good starter mechs.

First I must say that a good starter mech is one that allows you to try a lot of variety and several play-styles without having to have a lot of cbills. It must be something that is easy to use, easy to modify, and very easy for a new player to look at and say "Okay, I can come up with a plan for how to use this."

Many to include myself suggest Hunchbacks and Centurions. Mainly Hunchbacks. Here's why: Hunchbacks are cheap. They need few changes to be viable (change RT armor 46 front, 8 rear; add double heatsinks. You're done).

Centurions are insanely hard to kill (from the side) and so surrounded by enemies with both arms torn off and a leg broken you can still keep attacking. Thus the Centurion earned the nickname "Zombie." They work good as hit and run mechs.

However, on the 19th you will see Shadowhawks. These, too, need very few changes to become viable. They can jump, they can do most of the things that the Hunchbacks can do and while they are twice as tall, the slightly higher armor and more flexibility make them pretty solid to use. Cost-wise they are not much higher than Centurions.

1 B. In terms of cost, the best Heavy starter is the Quickdraw.

In terms of overall practicality, the best heavies are the Jagermech and the Catapult. Though both are completely usable, the Catapult is much better suited to a new player (the Jager needs lots of changes to fix its weak armor up to that of a Catapult). The Catapult can also slip by with just switching to double heatsinks and still rock. (Honestly think the Thunderbolt is better than them but you're not waiting a month I'm sure).

In terms of armor and firepower, the best routes are the Orion and the Cataphract. Orions are very flexible mechs but expensive too. The Cataphracts have a few variants that you can slip by and use without ever having to change anything but the heatsinks. Of the Cataphracts, I specifically suggest the 1X if you like speed (lots of small weapons + huge standard engine), and if you don't mind going slow the Cataphract 4x is a lot better than people say. Just plan what you're going to do before you do it and never go too far from your team.

2. Nope.

3. Jagers: Until you have an XL engine, the Jager S is my favorite. But if you want a shortcut get the DD and already have the engine. Here's 2 Jager S builds that work with the default engine.
2 AC/5s + 4 ML. Use the MLs in emergencies. Make the AC/5 rounds count.
2 AC/5s + 2 MGs and 4 SLs Tie MGs and SLs into the second firing group. Lots of ammo. CASE put in to protect you from an ammo explosion chain reaction.

Catapults: C1 or K2. I don't have any standard engine builds.

Cataphracts: 1X Standard engine. Still not cheap but amazingly fast. 5 ML + an AC/2. Slap the MLs on group 1 to obliterate anything in front of you. Slap the AC/2 on group 2 for long range harassment.
4x with twin AC/5s + an AC/2 with a standard 255 engine and 2 ML with AMS. Even though it's high speed for a 4x, remember this is a support mech. CASE can be swapped for another DHS if it's too hot. However the fastest way to kill a 4x is by its legs and thus the CASE will prevent the instant-death chain reaction.

4. Depends. You get 450 meters optimum range with an LL and 9 damage every 4.25 seconds (1 second beam time + 3.25 seconds to recharge) with 7 heat.

With 2 ML you get 270 meters optimum range for 10 damage every 4 seconds (1 second beam time + 3 seconds recharge) with 8 heat.

5. Some mechs have center torsos that are easier to hit than others. A good example of this is the Dragon. The Dragon's entire body counts as the center torso, where his shoulders are the side torsos. This is very enticing for XL engines (low risk) but very bad for the Dragon's survival chances (it's impossible to protect your body).

Edited by Koniving, 15 November 2013 - 03:20 PM.

[AlphaTheOmega]

Cataphract is is then! Thanks for all of your help!

If I cant afford the 3D CAT, what is the next best CAT?

[xMEPHISTOx]

If not able to buy the 3D I would say the 1X. I personally use mine w/std 300 engine and 5 ML with an AC20 and 16 DHS. But you will no doubt want to experiment and try different builds to find a build that is suitable for your play style.

[Koniving]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 03:12 PM, said:

Cataphract is is then! Thanks for all of your help!

If I cant afford the 3D CAT, what is the next best CAT?

A 3D after the most basic upgrade is 11,417,953 (and the build suggestions I seen cost even more).

Of the builds I suggested, the cost with both the mech and the actual changes:
The 1X build, with a brand new engine and several upgrades and a total loadout change is 10,642,961
The 4X build with the brand new engine and several upgrades, ammo, etc is 9,743,239.

The Jager S build (4 ML, 2 AC/5 limited ammo) version is 7,856,030
The Jager S build (4 SL 2 MG, 2 AC/5 + lots of ammo) version is 7,988,530

As I mentioned before Catapults need few changes. A K2 reasonably modified for a first run goes for: 7,198,055

(Edit: Forgot to mention, all the builds I made for this thread have standard engines, meaning you'll live that much longer.)

Credentials. (Note the mech count on the bottom right.)


Screenshots of those mechs added.

Spoiler

The K2. Built exactly the same way.


The 4X.


The 1X.


The Jager S.

Edited by Koniving, 15 November 2013 - 04:24 PM.

[xMEPHISTOx]

^^^^Sound advice and good info when on a budget.
I don't generally pay attention to cost and my builds tend to be pricey so you may want to use above info as your guide. Not sure how much Cbills you have available OP but I always figure on nearly double the mechs cost in upgrades and alterations, more so if planning on throwing in an xl engine (which I do not advise for newer plyaers).

[Alaskan Nobody]

xMEPHISTOx, on 15 November 2013 - 03:52 PM, said:

more so if planning on throwing in an xl engine (which I do not advise for newer plyaers).

Which is the big bonus to the Centurion and Hunchbacks - no XL please!

[Not A Real RAbbi]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

So I have been playing MWO for a couple days now, and I have to say there is a HUGE learning curve!

I have two questions:

1. What is a good Medium and Heavy starter mech and why?

2. Is there a way to get MC without paying?

1.). HBK. Start with the two autocannon carriers. Then the two missile carriers. Finish with the Laser boat.

This will give you a good experience set with different weapon types, all with energy weapon backups. They're also pretty flexible. Once you figure out what kind of loadout fits you best, use THAT to determine what mech to dedicate your sefl to.

2.). No.

[Victor Morson]

OK OP! Very strong recommendations here:

Medium: Shadow Hawk later in the month. But Centurions for now. Do not get a Hunchback; there's a limited niche for the 4SP but overall the Chassis is bad. Configure at 9A with 3xSRM6 or 3x SRM4 and some lasers and you're good to go. Standard and Endo + Ferro works on this build; remember, you can strip your arm armor if you're not using them, and no good Centurions use their arms except the AL.

Heavy: Cataphracts. Dear lord, hands down, Cataphracts. Consistently the best heavy in the game since their introduction, instead of growing less powerful as the meta changes, they have grown more powerful. The CTF-3D is the one to start with: It can run all kinds of awesome jump sniper configs (2x AC5 2x PPC / 1x AC20 2x PPC) or flat out brawl (AC20 + Medlas) or even energy boat, if that'd come back in style. The 4X offers you massive numbers of ballistics, and with AC/5s being top dog, it's gone from the worst Cataphract to one of the best. Even the hero Ilya is the best hero in the game, striking a great balance between the 3D and 4X. Finally the 2X missile launcher is fixed now so it makes a brutal AC/20 + SRM brawler.

Go Cataphract, it has something for everyone and is a 'mech that's played heavily.

EDIT: PS if you like the game, the only thing you ever really need to spend MC on are mech bays, which are very reasonably priced. You could buy an entire garage for as much money as some of the dashboard items. So it's actually not a very bad game at all price wise to get into; I'll accuse MW:O of many things but it is NOT pay to win.

Koniving, on 15 November 2013 - 03:11 PM, said:

Advice

Other than the Centurions, I don't really agree with those choices, esp. for newbies. Jaggermechs are squishy and you need an expert pilot to drive one and keep it's torsos hull downed or they pop like water balloons. Hunchbacks are too slow to be viable. The C1 is an awful 'mech, too.

Edited by Victor Morson, 18 November 2013 - 01:02 AM.

[Victor Morson]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 03:12 PM, said:

Cataphract is is then! Thanks for all of your help!

If I cant afford the 3D CAT, what is the next best CAT?

I see you already went for the best, missed this post. Just a tip, everyone calls the Catapult "Cat" around here, most people call Cataphracts "Phracts" as a result. Just letting you know since that can get a little confusing sometimes.

I'd vote for the 4X for the reasons I described above, with the 2X close behind. The actual best answer is the Ilya, but it's a pay-only 'mech. Again the 3D is slightly better than the Ilya for most roles, so the Ilya isn't really anything you need to own, it's just very nice if you ultimately decide you want a good money maker 'mech. It's just a cross between the 3D and 4X.

While the 3D is the best and normally I'd say to wait for it, if you can afford a 4X you'll have a good time if you like ballistics, and if you buy a 2X and run an AC20 with some SRMs, it's a solid performer as well. Though if you can just wait and get the 3D first, it's the most well rounded (and jump capable).

Edited by Victor Morson, 18 November 2013 - 01:07 AM.

[Denolven]

AlphaTheOmega, on 15 November 2013 - 01:47 PM, said:

I have two questions:

For the future, please ask questions here instead of creating a new thread:
Short Question - Short Answer
(pinned topic on the first page)

Welcome to MWO
If you are looking for info on a specific Mech, take a look at the battle mech guide section of the forum. That, together with the good old Smurfy website and maybe some youtube videos (try Konivings channel, he has pretty much every mech and shows many builds) give a good first impression on mechs.

Edited by Denolven, 18 November 2013 - 02:48 AM.

[John MatriX82]

Good starter medium? Wait for tomorow's Shadowhawks. Best medium in the game imho.

Then it's the time for Centurions, Blackjacks. Hunchies have become a third choice with SHD's intro.

[Koniving]

Victor Morson, on 18 November 2013 - 12:56 AM, said:

Other than the Centurions, I don't really agree with those choices, esp. for newbies. Jaggermechs are squishy and you need an expert pilot to drive one and keep it's torsos hull downed or they pop like water balloons. Hunchbacks are too slow to be viable. The C1 is an awful 'mech, too.

Jaggermechs have the same armor as Catapults and significantly more than Centurions. What you need is forward allotted armor to take a beating. Why do you think Cataphracts survive so much {Scrap} aside from a lousy 12 points more armor? They put 90% of their armor forward. That's the difference between Catapults/Jagers and Cataphracts. 12 points of armor and shape.

A Hunchback is half the size of a Centurion and exactly the same speed, so why recommend the giant "Dragon" sized Centurion and not the Blackjack-sized Hunchback?

C1, twin ER PPCs, two streaks, two small lasers just in case. The only thing that does better is a Jager on AC/2+AC/5 crack and an Atlas. Also for a Catapult, with 4 JJs if you leap right as someone shoots at you with a projectile like an AC/20, the enemy's attack doesn't register half the time. But this is true for anything with a fast enough jump.

Jager on crack.

Spoiler

Deals lots of abuse.

Takes lots of abuse.

Catapult C1 joke rig survives immense abuse, keeps on trucking.

Spoiler

Two parts. Part 1.

Part 2.

Hunchback, 270 engine.

Spoiler

Not at the biggest engine yet. Using "awful weapons." Racks in 711 damage, 7 kills, and this is actually the very first time I ran the build.

Edited by Koniving, 18 November 2013 - 08:06 AM.